Barbara Lorraine Farrill

Surrounded by her devoted family, Barbara Lorraine Farrill, 97, passed away at Integris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City, OK, on December 28th, 2022, after a short illness. She was the beloved sister of Connie Cooke, loving mother of sons F. Craig Farrill, Chris Farrill and Rich Farrill; daughters-in-law Rheanell Farrill and Wendy Melillo Farrill; grandmother of Juli Westcott, Wes Westcott, Michael Farrill, Grant Farrill and Bryson Farrill; and great-grandmother of Cady Westcott and Cailyn Westcott. Barbara was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada on October 28, 1925, to Dr. Richard and Margaret Trimble. She became a Registered Nurse at Toronto Sick Children's Hospital in 1948, married the boy next door G. Grant Farrill in 1951 and became a US Citizen in 1963. Canada was never too far from her heart as she was constantly interacting with her northern family, especially the Cooke's and Farrill's, by phone and mail. Long before the days of smartphones and laptops, she had already perfected a system to always get cards out for every occasion and even if there was a slight chance it would be late, there would be a follow up call to be sure the message and a smile was delivered. Summers in the 1960s were punctuated by long drives from Oklahoma to Canada to keep those family bonds strong. But they turned into smuggling operations as the car was loaded up with Bassett's Licorice All-Sorts, Dare Maple Cream Sandwich Cookies, Vernors Ginger Soda and Grandma Trimble's butter tarts and date bars to take back home. In fact, Barbara was convinced that Vernors had special medicinal properties when served hot, cold or with ice cream that are still not understood by Western medicine. Barbara worked as a nurse in Toronto and Philadelphia for a few years before becoming a full-time homemaker when her own children arrived. In 1972, she returned to nursing at Oklahoma City's Deaconess Hospital. During her career of 21 years at Deaconess, she worked in the nursery and developed a program to teach new mothers and their families how to feed and care for the newborns. Her efforts were so successful that she was like a rock star at the grocery store. Mothers she had helped were always animated in their thanks for her guidance on how to properly put on diapers, translate types of cries and to convert older siblings into enthusiastic helpers rather than jealous hindrances. Retirement did not slow her down. Barbara deeply loved children. Through her church, Barbara assisted disadvantaged kids by regularly helping at the Spark House, Kids Cafe, and Infant Crisis Center. She also volunteered at the Omniplex Kidspace, earning multiple commendations from the Governor of Oklahoma, and even an Omniplex Volunteer of the Year award. Her commitment to serving others later expanded to seniors as well. She cared for residents at the Westminster Manor Senior Living Center and prepared food with Mobile Meals. Barbara also had a tremendous love of music and participated in the Ladies Music Club, an organization to promote knowledge and appreciation of music in Oklahoma City. Recently, she left instructions for her memorial to be filled with music for her family and friends to enjoy. We thank God for the 97 wonderful years we shared with her and for her loving kindness. The Memorial Service for Barbara Farrill will be held at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 4400 N. Shartel, Oklahoma City, OK 73118 in the Main Sanctuary at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday, February 11th, 2023.To join us online, access www.wpcokc.org/livestream beginning at 12:45 p.m.